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Courtesy of Iowa Barnstormers
Iowa Barnstormers quarterback Ryan Vena looks for an open receiver during an Arena Football League game this season. Vena is one of 10 former Pioneers now involved in the new league.

A year ago, Ryan Vena was throwing touchdown passes to Rich Musinski and leading the af2's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers to another division title and the organization's second appearance in the league's championship game.

But not long after the Pioneers packed up their gear and headed to their offseason homes, af2 ceased to exist and Pioneers' owner Cosmo DeNicola put the team up for sale.

As far as arena football was concerned, there was a major overhaul. Af2 was out of the picture and a new and improved model was put in place. Fifteen teams formed a new Arena Football League designed to be more fan friendly, but more importantly, a structure was put in place where the owners could be successful, not just in the stands but financially as well.

Before everything was finalized, af2 stars such as Vena were left wondering if they would be able to land a job in the new league. He eventually landed in Iowa where he quarterbacks the Barnstormers, arguably the most popular team in arena football thanks to Kurt Warner who played for Iowa prior to becoming an NFL star.

"At first I moved to New York City and my girlfriend and I discussed not playing. I considered becoming a coach," said Vena, who admitted to not having any idea the Pioneers were going to be put up for sale.

"I had some college coaching offers but they were not good enough to sustain a good income. I decided to give playing another shot. Four teams were interested, but Iowa was the best fit for me."

Vena is one of 10 former Pioneers' player or coaches now involved in the new league.

Before selecting Iowa, Vena had discussions with former Pioneers coach Rich Ingold, who started the season as the head coach in Dallas. Ingold had his sites set on another quarterback and Vena didn't feel he needed to go to Dallas to prove anything to Ingold, who was the driving force in bringing Vena to Wilkes-Barre.

While the rules of the game are the same, one big difference is the pay scale. As a member of the Pioneers, Vena received $200 a game and all players received a bonus if their team won that week. This season Vena is paid $400 and there are three marketing players per game who receive $1,000 a game. There is also a possibility the league could expand to 20 teams next season.

"The salary is not comparable to the old afl, at least not yet," Vena said. "I think that is why the old league folded. It grew too fast and the players made too much money. The owners just couldn't keep up."

In terms of exposure, Vena and the league could not ask for much more. There are weekly games broadcast on the NFL Network and the leauge has incorporated a flex schedule for later in the season where teams that are playing the best and drawing the biggest crowds will have more opportunities to get on TV. Vena said the Barnstormers are averaging between 9,000-10,000 fans a night and he anticipates getting the opportunity to play on television more often as the season progresses.

"The coverage we get is awesome, my mom and dad are able to watch and I have had friends from all over the country call me and tell me they saw our games on television," Vena said. "A lot of guys haven't had this type of exposure before. It is only going to help a lot of players get other opportunities and help the league."

Vena was not the opening night starter for the Barnstormers but it didn't take long for him to get in the game. Vena entered the first game near the end of the first quarter against Chicago and has been the starter ever since.

Entering the weekend, Vena has thrown for 1,911 yards with 37 touchdowns and 14 intereceptions for the Barnstormers (3-5).

"At the beginning I thought I should have been the starter, but our coach is loyal and he gave the quarterback who was with him the last few years the opportunity," Vena said. "I was lucky enough to get in there and get the job."

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